Persona: Remnants
by LDOLDAL
Summary: When we look at the world, we often don't see it for what it really is. Follow out dear protagonist as they are forced to pick up roots and move to the country for a year in the midst of personal and societal turmoil. I'm sure nothing interesting or bizarre will happen. [SYOC, Closed]
1. Chapter 1

4/6/2021

The night is calm, clouds drift lazily across the sky and cars light up the night as they drive along the winding road through the hills. A train winds along parallel to the road like a giant metal worm cutting through the darkness and rain. A girl sleeps, face pressed lightly against the glass and twisted slightly in discomfort, her brown locks obscuring the left side of her face. She stirs slightly as a chime alerts the passengers to an announcement that was read out in a feminine voice with a slight robotic edge to it.

'Now arriving at Rendaiji Station. All passengers, we are arriving at Rendaiji Station. The next stop is Izukyu-Shimoda Station. This is the final stop for the line.'

The girl lifts her head from the window, a small patch of mist on the glass the only trace of her rest. She yawns, stretching herself out as far as she can, like a cat. Her brief moment of half-asleep bliss is quickly driven away as a sudden twinge of pain shoots through her neck.

'Ah, crap,' she muttered, rubbing the crick that had developed on her neck. 'Well what did you expect, sleeping like that. I knew that bloody coffee was decaf. And now you're talking to yourself again.' The girl turned, glancing out the window at the cars driving past. The train is plunged into sudden darkness once more as it enters tunnel.

She sighs. 'Welp, you're almost there now. Wonder what this guy's gonna be like.'

She is forced to squint slightly as light filtered back through the window as the train emerged slowly into the glaring shine of streetlights as it entered the small station. Forcing her tired, groaning muscles into a standing position, the girl reached up and pulled down her bag from the overhead compartment and wrestled the clearly stressed, near-overflowing suitcase down the car and out onto the platform. Outside the station appeared at first to be devoid of life, but then, revealed by the flickering lamppost, there sits an old man on a bench, who appeared to be reading and rereading a small slip of paper and reciting something under his breath. Hobbling over despite her luggage's best efforts, the girl gets close enough to overhear him just as he whispered, 'Hello, I'm Daisuke Orio. You may not remember me, the last time we met was when you were in… Gods sake man, she's a teen, she doesn't need to hear that after a long train journey.'

Now sure she had found the man she was looking for, the girl cleared her throat, prompting the man to suddenly jump up off the bench as though he'd just been electrocuted. 'What… OH!,' he exclaimed, quickly scrunching up the piece of paper when he saw the cause of his shock.

'Apologies, I uh… I didn't realise that the train was here,' he said, trying to catch his breath. 'Hello, my na…'. 'I heard,' the girl said, cutting through the man's attempt to salvage what remained of his clearly derailed planned greeting. 'Listen, do you have a car or something? I'm a bit tired after the trip, I just want to get this bag down somewhere.'

She knew she was being harsh, but honestly, she really didn't care. 'Oh… of, eh, of course. Yes, I'm… um… p-parked right outside,' said Daisuke, clearly caught off guard by both the sudden appearance of the person he was waiting for along with their apparent immediate poor humour. 'Here, let me help you with your bag'.

It took roughly ten agonising minutes, and several panting breaks, to get the suitcase, which all parties were beginning to suspect was either sentient, haunted or both, over the rough gravel of the carpark and into the trunk of the car, a small light blue piece that despite it's clear age, still seemed just as polished and well-maintained as the day it was sold. The pair took a moment after finally closing the trunk to lean against the car and catch their breath. 'How about… I get us… some snacks in the store here… and you can… hooo… go toilet,' Daisuke managed to get out between gasps. 'It's a… long ride… into town…' The girl simply nodded in response. The pair went back into the small station, the girl passing the store, following the signs to the ladies' room, located in a short corridor behind the ticket booth. One long awaited relief later, she bummed the door open, shaking her hands dry. And running face first into someone. 'AH,' she , though she would never admit it, screamed as she fell, butt first onto the ground. 'Watch where you're going idiot!' 'Oh I do apologise,' a polite cultured voice replied in a strange accent. The girl looked up to see what appeared at first to be a kid in a costume, but what she quickly realised was simply a very baby-faced man wearing a dark suit, complete with a bowler hat that looked like it belonged in a black-and-white film. The man reached down and helped her to her feet. 'It's fine,' she muttered. 'Just be careful'. 'Of course you are merely concerned my absent-mindedness will cause myself or others harm tell me this may be an odd question but what age are you?'

The mans voice seemed off somehow. The accent was posh, but the words left his mouth rushed, as though each were trying to leave at the same time, but there was only room for one at a time once they reached his mouth. 'I'm uh… I'm 17,' she said, unsure why she was even still talking to this… man(?), and not running like all her instincts were screaming at her to. 'Ah then you must be aware of the new age of adulthood bill that has been passed yes?'. She simply nodded. '_What are you doing, he's not normal run, run, why aren't you running, **RUN!**'_ 'I'm sorry, but my grandfather is waiting for me…'. 'Of course yes but first may I bother you just to aid me in my task,' the man continued, in a voice far too upbeat to call a drone. 'You see I am here to ensure that the teen population of this area are prepared for the responsibility of adulthood. If you could please sign here.' Suddenly, the girl had a pen in one hand and a clipboard that the man(?) must have given her. On it was a single statement.

The signer of this states that they shall, and agree that one should always, take full responsibility for their actions.

x_

There was room for many signatures, but each stood empty. Reading the page almost felt like hearing a desperate voice echo out in an empty room, begging for an answer, and before she knew it, her hand, and the pen within it, was moving along above the line, tracing out the kanji of her name.

xOrio Noriko

'Thank you,' the man's(?) voice echoed, and when Noriko looked up, he was gone, pen, clipboard and all.


	2. Chapter 0- Some Info

Some info about this story that I left out;

It's gonna be set in a small fictional town called Saoka within the Shizuoka Prefecture, about an hour's drive away from Shimoda.

I'm looking for 8 party members, one for all the elements bar Ice, and a navigator.

And I realised it would be good to have a list of the number of submissions per Arcana currently, so here it is;

Arcana

Fool- N/A

Magician- 2

Priestess- 1

Empress- 1

Emperor- 2

Hierophant- N/A

Lovers- 1

Chariot- 2

Justice- 1

Hermit- 1

Fortune- 1

Strength- 1

Hanged Man- 1

Death- 1

Temperance-

Devil-

Tower- N/A

Star- 1

Moon- 2

Sun- 1

Judgement- N/A

Male= 6

Female= 7

I'm not putting any sort of deadline on this, so you can take as long as you like. It'll be quality over speed and all that stuff to, so don't decide not to send your cool character just because 1 single person got in before you. Now if there are 6 or 7 submissions in before you, maybe you should pick a different Arcana.


	3. Chapter 2

The car ride was nothing if not awkward. Daisuke made numerous attempts to initiate some form of conversation, but each was either ignored or given only a simple grunt as a response. _Well, this is going about as well as I thought it would_, Daisuke thought to himself, glancing at this girl who already seemed to harbour a dislike for him.

_Who the hell was that guy?_. Noriko suppressed a shudder at the memory of the encounter outside the toilet. _Shit, **what** was he?_.

Eventually, after about an hour that felt several times longer, the car pulled into a short gravel drive in front of a cosy little wood house. A collection of grass and weeds roughly contained by the fence and gravel drive could be described as a garden, if one was feeling generous. The walls of the house stood unpainted, but were darkened to a deep, reflective brown by varnish. As Noriko approached the doorway, leaving Daisuke to wrestle the awkward suitcase alone, she was surprised to find the door, a traditional sliding one, was unlocked.

"Do you not get any thieves out here in the sticks or something," she quipped, turning to see Daisuke had managed to manoeuvre the suitcase in a relatively straight line through the gravel.

"Oh, whoops. Did I leave it unlocked again," he replied. "You know, I'd likely forget my head if it wasn't attached. Could you help getting this through the door please."

_Maybe I amn't the one who needs looking after._ As she helped pull the suitcase through the door, and after a brief nerve-wracking moment when its zip caught in the doorway and threatened to spill its contents across the drive, Noriko looked around at the interior of the building. The inside of the house was as quiet and cosy as the outside made it seem. In the hall, an end-table tucked in the gap under the stairs had a collection of porcelain Buddhas surrounding a landline phone. Opening the door to the left as Noriko entered revealed a small toilet. "The front room is just through the door on the right there," Daisuke called over the case. "And the door straight ahead is the kitchen. Your room is just upstairs. It's all ready with sheets and such, I'm sure you want to get to bed as soon as you can."

"Thanks. I can take it from here," was all Noriko provided as a response, before dragging her exhausted legs and her hefty bag up the stairs to the landing. "It's the first door you come to," Daisuke called after her before, after hearing a door slide open and shut, making his way into the kitchen. Moving over to the counter on the far wall, he filled a kettle from the sink and set it to boil and chuckling in a soft, sad way. "I don't think she likes you," he muttered, eyeing his reflection in the window. "Ah, well. I'm sure tomorrow will be better, once she's had a night's sleep." 

Upstairs, Noriko was looking around at the room she would be staying in for the year. It was… nice. The soft orange paint on the walls was a bit faded, but still retained some fundamental vibrancy, like a person showing their age on the outside, but was clearly still brimming with mischievous energy from their youth. The bed was simple, with blue sheets and a pair of mismatched pillows, one a matching blue, the other an unusual bright pink.

"Who the hell could sleep with this thing near them," she muttered, holding up the lightish-red offender. Turning toward her suitcase as she tossed the pillow aside, she slowly and carefully undid the zip. Once she got halfway, the sheer force of her belongings pushing out pulled the zip from her hands and around with a sound not unlike a small motor revving.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, clutching her finger. "Bloody thing. Ow ow ow ow." Slowing releasing her finger, Noriko watched as a single drop of crimson blood fell from a small nick the zip gave her as it escaped her grip.

As it fell, time seemed to slow. The drop almost appeared suspended in the air, as though it was held by an invisible piece of string. She watched as it slowly shifted from a drop to a sphere in the air. And then it hit her trousers and she saw it slowly spread out into a rough circle with small protrusions, tiny, near impossible to see drops rising and falling from the point of impact… impact… crash.

She didn't know when she had started crying. When she had come to, she was curled up in bed, desperately clutching the pink pillow she had previously thrown away, like it was a piece of flotsam and she was adrift in the middle of an ocean that stretched across the whole world.

"Calm down," she whispered to herself, trying to regain control of her breathing. "Just calm down. It's only blood. Blood can't hurt you. It has nothing to do with what happened. You're okay."

Noriko slowly lowered her head onto the pillow, feeling each individual muscle slowly release their tension one at a time and, utterly exhausted, she slipped into a deep and much needed sleep.

Just a quick update to let people know that this fic isn't dead just yet. Honestly, half the delay is because I've mostly been too terrified to actually work on this for fear of disappointing the internet, my one true love, and it doesn't help that each time people have sent me characters I've suffered minor heart attacks at how good they are compared to how my OCs end up. I am fully working on this, I have Discord friends working on some empty Arcana, and I would truly appreciate if anyone would consider submitting. I'm going to start locking in characters tomorrow at around 1pm GMT, so if your character is competing for a spot, you need to send it before then.

Anyway, to let me know how many people have lost interest due to my hiatus, here's a question for you to answer in the reviews. Anyone have any theories as to why Noriko is spending the year with her grandfather?


	4. Party Member List and Submission Update

PARTY MEMBER LIST

In no particular order;

1- Noriko Orio- Fool Arcana- Myself.

2- Yoshiki Arashi- Emperor Arcana- Other Senpai.

3- Yuzuri Kitami- Empress Arcana- WrittenWhim.

4- Lisa Amsel- Magician Arcana- Reduced20.

5- Chisai Tsuyoi- Chariot Arcana- The Impostor.

6- Rai Takahashi- Moon Arcana- AHabitForARabbit.

7- Keiji Takada- Sun Arcana- KingOfStories01.

8- Eikotaro Okami- Hermit Arcana- The Impostor.

This is the full list of the front-line party members who will be fighting to save humanity... Or just goofing off with anime superpowers. Who knows?

I am now looking for solely submissions for either a Navigator (Futaba, Fuuka, Rise), and Social Links. Please god, send me Social Links. If your OC wasn't picked, you can resubmit if you'd like, and everyone gets 2 max submissions. Remaining Arcana are as follows;

High Priestess- 1

Lover-

Chariot-

Strength- 1

Wheel of Fortune-

Justice-

Hanged Man-

Death- 1

Temperance- 1

Devil- 1

Tower-

Star-

Sun-


	5. Chapter 3- A Long-Nosed Man

Noriko floated gently through a warm darkness. It felt as though she was submerged in deep heated water, so far down that nothing could reach her, no sun, no noise, just peace. She felt so relaxed. It had been weeks since she'd last felt so relaxed. No, longer. Not since the… No… No don't think about it, if you think about it, maybe the dream will change.

Even as these thoughts left her head, she felt her aimless drifting being brought to an abrupt halt and a small crack of light appeared before her. She felt herself being slowly dragged through it and into consciousness once again. Reluctantly, she lifted her head from her shoulder where it had been resting and flinched as a familiar twinge made itself known in her neck.

"Again, serious… Wait what?!",she suddenly exclaimed. Despite her attempt at massaging her aching neck, she suddenly shot her eyes open to see that her arms were strapped to the arms of a wheelchair which she soon realised was being pushed through a dark corridor. On one wall were semi-regularly placed windows which all were… were those bars? Despite her best efforts to sit up and get some clues as to her whereabouts, the high placement of the windows, coupled with the unusually low seat of the chair meant the only view she could get was of a dark, moonless night sky.

All along the other wall were heavy and very secure looking metal doors which all had what appeared to be smaller closed and locked receptacles at around head height. They all looked like the sort of heavy-duty doors she would see in those manga, the sort of environment that the greatest, most terrifying villains and criminals are sent. Thoroughly freaked out by this point, Noriko craned her aching neck to try and catch a glimpse of her captor's identity.

"Hey, you," she said, trying to hide her fear behind some anger and bravado. "I don't who the HELL you are, but if you don't let me go right now, I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!"

The silence was broken solely by the repetitive squeaking of one of the wheels of the chair as it slowly continued down this seemingly infinite hallway.

"Did you hear what I just said assho-"

"If you would please calm yourself, I would be happy to explain."

Once again, Noriko was suddenly taken aback. Despite her clearly unusual and terrifying situation, the voice which replied to her seemed… young. Calm and business-like, with an undertone of routine, as though it was a common occurrence for this boy to have to deal with screaming women strapped to wheelchairs, but unmistakably a kid.

"You are here because my Master called you here. You are to be under our care until… Well, I should leave the full explanation to the Master."

_'The Master? This place is getting weirder by the second. Is this all a dream maybe? No, it feels too real, too… I can't really say normal, can I?'_

Finally, after an immeasurable amount of time and silence, she spied a junction in the corridor, which they promptly turned into, leading them onto a much shorter corridor lit on both sides by old style oil lamps, each burning with a deep blue flame. The corridor ended in an ornate blue-tinged wooden door flanked by blue curtains. As they approached the doors slowly swung open, releasing a bright blinding light. Noriko tried to keep her eyes open but was eventually forced to shut them.

"Ahhh, the Trickster has arrived," someone said in a high, nasally voice. "It is a pleasure, I'm sure."

"What. The. Fuuu…". When she opened her eyes, the sight that greeted them was, like every other thing that she had been dealing with for the last few minutes, unusual. The room she was in was a fancy office of some kind, each wall swathed in the same blue curtains that had flanked the door. The room was completely empty of furniture barring a single desk and chair, the desk bearing a digital clock of some kind, a Newton balance, the ball bearings of which were clicking and swinging away, some kind of cards and a very thick book on one edge.

The chair contained the strangest looking man she had seen in her life. Long pointed ears, flanking bulbous, bloodshot eyes which lay on either side of the longest nose she had ever seen. His mouth was stretched into a wide smile that looked almost uncomfortable. His hands were covered by white gloves and were steepled underneath his chin. He was wearing a well-fitting suit on limbs that seemed to stretch far too long.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room. This is a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter," said the weird human, goblin, thing. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Please, allow us to introduce ourselves."

The boy standing behind Noriko stepped forward then, stopping beside the desk and hefting the book up into his arms. He turned and revealed that…

_'He's actually kinda cute.'_

Lively golden eyes, dimple marks on his cheeks presumably from smiling and a mop of curly grey hair poking out from underneath a blue bell boy hat. He was wearing a blue suit jacket, black trousers with a blue line going down the sides, and a white shirt. Noriko was shaken out of her surprise by the… The continuing to speak.

"I am Igor, and this is William. We are both residents of this place."

"I look forward to working with you, miss."

There was a brief silence, as though they were waiting for an answer.

"Umm… ah… he… hello?" was all Noriko could manage. Her neck was aching, she was still strapped to the chair she was in, a chair that was being pushed by a kid who couldn't be older than 14 dressed in a blue bell boy costume and was being told she was in some different dimension by a weird old guy. Reasonably, she was a little tongue-tied.

"I understand if this is a bit much to take in, but I am confident you will come to view this place as indispensable in your coming struggles."

"Wait wait wait," Noriko interjected, her mind finally beginning to slowly catch up with her situation. "What do you mean, 'coming struggles'. In fact, what the hell is going on here. I swear, if I don't get some answers soon I'm going to wring someone's neck".

This seemed to take both the little kid and the old man aback a little. The man, Igor, opened his mouth as though to reply, but suddenly the alarm clock sitting on his desk beeped loudly.

"Ah. It appears we are out of time. William, if you will please return the patient back to her room. We will continue this later," he said, pressing down on the snooze button.

"Wait, what do you mean we're done. You still haven't answered my questions, I want to know… what is that?"

The kid, William was his name, had gone behind Igor and was now approaching her while holding a mask hooked to a gas bottle of some kind.

"Please breathe deeply and calmly," was all that he said in reply.

Desperately, Noriko tried to somehow push herself further into the chair to keep away from the kid.

"Wait a second now… Hold on… Get away from me with that thing… I'm waarnnniiiinn' yooo…" She suddenly found the whole room was slipping and pooling against one of the walls, even as William was just arriving. "Whoooaaa thhaasshh shtroong shhtuf…"

And with that astute observation, she felt her eyes slowly be dragged down under the force of their own weight, and everything faded to black once again.

* * *

Finally found the horizontal line button.

Well, here we are, ladies and gentlemen. Submissions are still open for Social Links and a Navigator. A hint to get your Link OC a boost, make them an adult. I've got plenty of teens from the Party and the Nav.


	6. Chapter 4- Getting set up

4/7

Noriko's eyes shot open so fast they almost hurt as she looked around in a mix of confusion and shock.

_Am I awake. No, this isn't my room! Where am I? Is this still a… Wait. Of course this is my room. I just moved in._

Sighing and breathing deeply to calm herself down, Noriko glanced around her new bedroom, gaze eventually falling onto the old-fashioned looking alarm clock on the cabinet beside her bed.

_It's only just going on half five. Ugh, I can never get a good bloody sleep, can I._

Looking down at the floor, Noriko engaged in a brief staring contest with her still not unpacked bag in a foolish attempt at convincing the inanimate, yet malicious object to just disappear. The case, in reply, sat on the floor, continuing to be not unpacked.

_Dammit, I'm awake now. Should be fine as long as I'm quiet._

* * *

Several minutes of hushed cursing and muffled muttering later, the bag was finally relieved of its final passenger. Now, the room was looking much better in Noriko's opinion. On the wall next to the bed was a large, creased poster for the all-female rock band, First-Maid-Kit. The small windowsill was packed with about a dozen small kokeshis, each of them completely different in color, size and design. Finally, she had changed out of her wrinkled, slept-in clothes into something a bit more comfortable. Placing the last pair of socks in the bottom drawer of the bedside cabinet, she took a step back and looked herself up and down in a full-length mirror that she had found built into one of the doors of the wardrobe. Her shortish brown hair was a mess as always and she had bags almost the size of her suitcase under her red eyes. She looked pretty much how she felt, really. For clothes, she had on her old battered pair of grey-green sneakers, a pair of black tracksuit bottoms that were so creased they looked like she had just found them in a charity bin and a white hoody with a cute cat face on it that was one size too big for her, under which she wore a plain loose white tee. Putting the cheesiest, most anime smile on her face she could, raising her hand as if in greeting, she said under her breath.

"Hi! I'm Orio Noriko, but you can call me Rino, cause I'm sooooooooo sweet!"

Feigning puke, she closed the wardrobe door and glanced once more at the clock beside her bed.

"Quarter past six, huh. Screw this, I'm getting something to eat," she grumbled, carefully opening her door and making her way down the stairs. In the hall however, something caused her to come to a halt. A smell, wafting from a gap in the kitchen door, which was filling the hall in its entirety. Stepping forward bit by bit, Noriko slowly opened the door, and saw the most beautiful thing she had seen in a long time. On a small round wood table, was a stack of pancakes that were fluffier than any she had ever seen before, flanked on either side by a pair of plates, each containing half a dozen thick, fatty slices of bacon. Already salivating, Noriko walked, transfixed, over to the nearest chair, struck speechless by the sight.

"Ahh, your finally awake, huh?", a voice said from the other side of the pancakes. Leaning to the side, Noriko saw that Daisuke was entering the house from a back door that was tucked around the corner of the fridge. In an unusual display, he was wearing what appeared to be an extremely faded tracksuit and shorts.

"What the hell are you wearing?" was her incredulous reply. She had been pretty quiet, even while struggling with her case, but she hadn't even heard him going down the stairs, let alone making some breakfast and leaving to presumably exercise.

"I was just doing some stretches after a spot of jogging in the garden. It's always important to keep active, especially as you start getting on in years."

"But… I woke up at half five! When did you do all this?"

"Well, I just finished the frying about five minutes ago, I was jogging for about ten so… I'd say around an hour ago."

"H-h-how are you f-functioning?", an increasingly confused Noriko stuttered, trying to make sense of this old man's insane morning routine.

"You know, getting up early and doing some exercise is extremely healthy. They call it 'ikigai'."

"Is that so? Well, if this is ikigai too," she said, indicating the pancakes and bacon in front of her on the table. "Then I don't think I mind living with someone who lives like that. Do you have any coffee?"

"Yes, though is instant okay? I can't make a proper roast to save my life."

* * *

A long and thoroughly enjoyable gorging later, the two of them sat contently at the table.

"So," Daisuke said, clapping his hands together. "The plan for today. The school you'll be attending starts back up tomorrow, so we need to get you all signed in there. I thought we could walk there so I can show you some of the sights along the way. Maybe do some shopping around town, get something nice for dinner?"

"Sure."

_Still as tight lipped as ever, eh, _Daisuke thought to himself.

Noriko busied herself rinsing their dishes while Daisuke went back upstairs and changed into something she would be 'less embarrassed walking next to'. Coming back down in a brown blazer, grey trousers and a pair of well-polished shoes, Noriko had to admit that despite his age he cleaned up pretty well.

"May I take your arm, madam?", he asked in an overly posh voice, offering his own to hook into. The ridiculous accent he put on, coupled with the contrast of his formal attire and her crumpled coverings was too much for her. She couldn't help but give a little chuckle as she accepted.

_There we go, that's much better, _he thought. _She looks just like her when she smiles._

The walk was enjoyed mostly in silence barring the occasional announcement of what was to be found at the end of alternative routes that they passed by.

_There's a lot of local stuff here despite being right next to a big city_, Noriko thought.

"Most of the businesses around here are kept alive by regulars and the odd shrine visitor," Daisuke explained, as though he had heard the thoughts in her head. "A lot of the young people around here like them for the so-called 'retro' aspect, but I wouldn't use that word personally."

"What would you use?"

"Well-aged. Like me."

Again, Noriko chuckled. _Maybe it won't be too bad living around here after all. He's funny, he cooks and from the look of the house he cleans. If we weren't family, he might make the perfect husband._

* * *

The school itself was a quiet place, although Noriko didn't know if that was due to it being in an area of fewer people than she was used to, or simply because this school just wasn't as busy as her old one the day before the semester began.

"I have spoken to all the staff regarding the unfortunate… circumstances that lead to your moving here, miss Noriko," the elderly principal said, wiping his glasses as she signed her name into the roll-book. "Rest assured, should you need to talk, I can personally vouch for both the understanding and the discretion of all who work here. You simply have to ask, and time will be made."

"Thank you," she replied, feeling anything but grateful. _I'm not made of freaking glass!_, was what she wanted to say, but she knew that one guaranteed way of ruining her chance for a quiet year was piss off the principal.

"I do hope that you feel safe and secure whenever you're here and again, feel free to speak with anyone if you feel you need to," he called after her as she left the room, Daisuke by her side.

"Are you okay, Noriko?" Daisuke asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'M… ahem… I'm fine, thank you. Can we… can we just head home now," she said, her anger at the principals cloying 'sympathy' flaring a little.

Daisuke looked at her for a second then, wrapping an arm around her shoulders started to guide her to the doors of the school and out back onto the road.

"Wait wait, whoa, hold up, what are you doing?"

"Cheering you up. We're going to have some fun before heading home."

* * *

"Oooo… Ohhh, this isn't fun," Noriko groaned, clutching her belly. Her whole body ached, and her arms wouldn't move from their protective curl around her midriff.

"You can do it Noriko! Come on," Daisuke cheered.

Looking up, her right arm slowly dragging itself back up onto the table, grabbing her fork. Then up snaked her left, loosely gripping her knife. Raising herself up using her elbows, she reached out…

And faceplanted onto the restaurant table.

"3… 2… 1… Knock out!" a waiter standing next to the table said. Noriko's head was gently lifted from the table and allowed to loll back onto the chair she was in.

"It's okay, you did your best," her supporter in this unfortunately failed endeavour, Daisuke, murmured to her as he came over and hugged her head to his chest. Meanwhile, the object of her intestinal destruction, almost looking larger than when she had started was picked up and carried away by the waiters. A brief round of scattered commiserations and applause from a few of the diner's other patrons was cut sort by a long, drawn-out wet tearing sound.

A few minutes later, Orio half walked and was half carried by Daisuke out of the diner. It had actually been her idea to try to wrangle a free meal by defeating the Meat Your Maker challenge. An idea she was currently… regretting.

"Why… did you… aaaa… let me… do that?", she groaned.

"I believe you stopped listening to me once the waiter said you looked a bit too small to try…"

"Ah bah bah bah," she interrupted. "No logical explanations allowed. Just get me home."

"Shall I carry you my dear?", the smiling old man chuckled. After a quick death stare, Orio couldn't help but crack a grin at his antics.

"I swear, I don't know how the hell you've got so much energy at your age," she replied, dragging her feet down the bright country roads. The sun was still well in the sky, but it had begun to dip towards the horizon. The two walked for a while, enjoying the warm sun and the cool breeze.

"May I ask you something Noriko," Daisuke eventually said, breaking the silence as they turned a corner onto the road the house was on.

"Sure," was her reply, turning her head slightly to face him.

"You seemed to get rather angry earlier, at the school," he said. "Was it something the principal said?"

"It wasn't what he said," she groaned, coming to a stop, and turning to face him full on.

"It was how he said it. I'm tired of people who don't, can't or won't understand expressing some sorta… fake sympathy, out of some obligation they think they have to be a 'good person'," she continued, with apparently increasing agitation and volume.

"I swear, if one more person looks me in the eyes with that… pitying look and says something like… 'I'm so sorry', or… or 'things will get better', I'm gonna lose it. I'm gonna genuinely lose it and I'm gonna punch them in their…"

Noriko's sudden rant slowly span down to a tearful halt before Daisuke took a step forward and wrapped her in his arms.

"Shhhh," he cooed. "I understand. I know how you feel. You know I do. So you can believe me when I say it, yeah."

Noriko gave a wet chuckle through her tears, before slowly extracting herself from the hug and wiping her face with the sleeve of her loose hoodie.

"Should we go inside now?" she said. "I don't know about you, but that little outburst tired me out."

"Sure. You've an early day tomorrow, so why don't we have some tea, and you can get some much needed sleep."

* * *

The Prophecy is true. I have once more returned, with another update to this fic.

I am once again asking for your submissions. I've been filling up the ranks, so I only need three Social Links now. I'm looking for a High Priestess, a Tower and a Star SL. Plz, I promise I'll update more if I can fill up the last gaps in my line-up.

Also, anyone got theories yet for what happened? #whathappenedtoNoriko2020


	7. Chapter 5- First Day

**CHAPTER 5**

4/8

…

…

…

BBBBRRRRINNNNNGGGNGNGNGGGGGGG

A hand swings in a blur and comes crashing down on top of the alarm clock.

"Mmmph," says the owner of said hand, before gently easing herself back into the covers. Before jumping straight up out of bed.

"Oh shit," Noriko blurted out, desperately trying to untangle herself from her duvet as she hopped over to the wardrobe to put on her uniform.

"Not gonna be late, not gonna be late…" she muttered, balancing on one foot to pull on the long socks. Brushing her hair back away from her eyes, she stepped back to admire herself in the mirror for a moment. The uniform was a simple enough affair, plain black skirt, a white shirt, and a black blazer with a blue trim to its lining.

"Alright," Noriko said to herself, fixing a smile onto her face. "Let's do this."

* * *

Another delicious breakfast consumed and a far too short, nerve wracking car ride later, and she was standing before the gates of the school. The gates were ornate, iron-work affairs, topped by a wooden sign with the school's name, "Shinjutsu Academy", painted in a dark blue. Looking about, she could see dozens of cliques and groups of students milling around, chatting, running about. Wishing she had pockets to hide her hands in, Noriko walked through the gates and let the sea of voices flow over her for a moment.

"Oh come on Ei, you've gotta gimme a hint at least…" a petite girl was saying to an older slouched boy who was shaking his head as he climbed the steps.

"So ummm… my friend was wondering…" another girl was awkwardly muttering to a tanned senior. "Are you like… still going out with Arakawa-san?"

'_Guess high schools always the same_' Noriko thought to herself as she began to make her way up the steps... before someone ran into her going full tilt from behind.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, managing to stay on her feet. "What the hell was that?" she called after the retreating figure, but all she received in return was a glimpse of their face, screwed up and in tears.

"Wow Mashita-senpai," someone giggled behind her. "That bitch seriously thought you and she were friends."

'_Oh great, bullies. Don't turn around Noriko, don't draw attention, just keep walking._'

"And who are you?" came another voice from behind her.

'_Shit, too late! Alright, play it cool. You've just gotta act tough enough they don't think you're easy to mess with and not too tough that they hold a grudge. Easy, right?_'

Slowly, Noriko began to turn on her heel, preparing to throw away all hope she had of a quiet and peaceful year…

"HEY!" yet another voice called from the door. Surprised, Noriko whipped her head back to face the voices owner, whose appearance made her do a double take.

Standing at the top of the stairs was a small girl, barely past 5 feet in height, with a smooth round face, pale almost to the point of being pure white, wearing the school's uniform, along with sunglasses and a wide brimmed sunhat. Looking at her gazing down on them in that getup, Noriko was immediately put in mind of some 800-year-old vampire loli from an anime. As the girl adjusted her glasses slightly, Noriko caught a glimpse of her eyes, which seemed to be almost pink or red.

"There's less than a minute to class, and none of your uniforms are within the dress code," the strange girl continued. "I'd suggest you all get moving."

"Whatever, Doll Monitor," came the voice which Noriko assumed to be the leader of the group behind her. Not wanting or caring to see how this interaction went, she quickly climbed the last few steps, passed the weird vampire/doll girl, and made it into the school.

'_That both did and didn't go as bad as it could have I'd say._'

Continuing on into the school, Noriko quickly glanced over the little scrap of paper she'd scribbled on once she'd gotten back into the house the night before.

'_Second floor, first corridor on the left,_ _teachers' lounge. Teacher's name is… Miss Unmei Masayume._'

Scrunching the paper into a ball, Noriko navigated her way through the crowded corridors towards the stairs on the other end of the building.

Squeezing her way through the press of people, Noriko passed by a glasses-wearing girl who appeared to be having her bag checked by a male teacher.

"I apologise for the inconvenience, but I'm afraid we had to be sure," the teacher was saying, handing the bag back over. "The school has a strict no animals policy."

"I understand sir," the girl murmured. "I promise, I won't bring Kuro to school anymore. Not after last year."

"Good girl. Now get to class, first bell's about to go."

Passing by a pair of girls whispering, Noriko finally made it to the stairs and began the climb to the floor above.

* * *

The second floor seemed to be a lot easier to navigate. Looking at the signs topping the few doors she passed, it seemed as though the lower floors had the classrooms whilst this one contained the offices and the school library. Turning onto the corridor she was looking for, it was easy enough to spot the sign for the teacher's lounge. Stepping up and knocking, Noriko was greeted by an elderly bespectacled man.

"Yes dear? How may I help?" he said.

"I um… I'm meant to meet with my homeroom teacher here. Miss Masayume."

"Oh…" the man replied, blood draining from face as his eyes widened noticeably. "Well… she's eh… she's here waiting for you."

"Okay..?" she said, as the man opened the door for her and stood aside to let her in. Passing him, she saw the only other occupants in the room were two teachers standing against one wall who seemed to be having a whispered conversation, and on the other end of the room, a woman whose face was planted firmly into her desk, quite clearly asleep.

"That's her there. You can sit here at my desk if you'd like to wait," the elderly teacher said.

"Doesn't she have to start the school year with the class?" Noriko said.

"Technically yes. But to be honest, she needs the sleep. And if you knew her, you'd be pretty scared to try and prod her awake," he whispered, chuckling softly. "I'm Mister Sunada. I teach science here. What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Orio Noriko, I just transferred," she said, extending her hand.

"Oh…" he replied, his face morphing into an all too familiar expression. "I'm so sorry for…"

"Yeah, thanks, it's almost time for class right," Noriko quickly interrupted, getting up from her seat and moving passed the surprised teacher towards the sleeping woman. "Excuse me, Miss Masayume? I'm Orio Noriko."

Almost immediately Noriko saw the woman's eyes shoot wide open, and with a slow, drawn out groan that seemed to come from the very depths of her soul, she slowly raised her head from her desk.

"Mph… cn hlp you?" she said.

"Um… sorry what?" Noriko replied. With a heavy sigh, the teacher levered herself up out of her seat and fixed her iron-grey eyes on Noriko with a stare that she could feel burying itself through her skull like a pair of red-hot needles of mild annoyance.

"Can I help you?" she repeated.

"Oh, um… my name is Orio Noriko miss," she quickly stated, fighting the sudden urge to bow. "I was told by the principal to meet you here before class starts today."

"Why are you here so earl…" the teacher stopped when a clock on the wall caught her eye. "What time is it!?"

"It's… it's 8 am," Noriko said, beginning to feel a bit frightened of this strange woman. _'This is a teacher?'_

Jumping back as the teacher shot out of her seat, Noriko suddenly felt her arm almost be popped out of its socket as the woman rushed past her, dragging her along at a great speed. The few students still making their ways into their respective rooms seemed to shrink away in fear as her captor sped through the corridors and skidded to a halt outside on of the classes with a plate labelled 2-B upon it just as the bell began to ring loudly.

Releasing the death grip on Noriko's forearm, the teacher turned to her, patting her down and straightening her uniform.

"Anyone asks, we were delayed because I was showing you around the school building and we lost track of time," she said in a voice that brokered no argument. "Understand?"

"Yes Miss," Noriko replied, trying to catch her breath.

"Good. Now…" With that she slid open the door and called out to the class.

"Alright all of you, sit down. Hey, Soku, if you throw that paper, you're following it into the bin. Good boy. Now, class, I'm sure most of you know me, but for those who do not, I am Masayume Unmei. You may call me Masayume-sensei. I will be teaching history, as well as acting as your homeroom teacher. Now, I'm aware I have a certain reputation amongst the rumour mongers of the school as some sorta monster, but I want each and every one of you to know that I'm available to help you with anything you ask. Within reason."

Noriko supressed a giggle as she heard one of the students mutter a distinct '_why's she looking at me when she says that?_". At the noise, Masayume-sensei turned to her and beckoned her to step further into the room. Obliging, the class began to mutter amongst themselves as they got their first good look at her.

"She's the new girl huh? She's pretty cute."

"Wonder what she's like?"

"Oh shit, the teacher's staring, shh shh."

"Quiet down now," said the teacher, motioning towards Noriko once again. "This is Orio Noriko. She'll be attending for this year while she stays with her grandfather. Is there anything you'd like to say to the class Noriko?"

"Uh…"

She'd seriously and jokingly thought of some witty or smart greeting for this moment, but now she was stood in front of her new classmates all that came to mind was a simple, "Hi there. I hope we get along."

"Thank you Noriko. Now, your seat should be… There it is, over by the wall there," Masayume-sensei said, pointing the empty desk out for her. Walking over, Noriko glanced over to her only neighbour at the desk next to hers. It was a girl, who had her near-black dark brown hair in a tight bun. She was wearing the schools uniform with the blazer unbuttoned. She had a light-tan or olive tone to her skin, and more interestingly, something that looked distinctly like a bruise on her left knee. Looking up, the two of them made eye contact, the girl having a confused expression in her in her sharp, olive-coloured eyes.

"Sorry, I just noticed your knee," Noriko muttered. "You alright? Does it hurt?"

"Oh…" came the reply. "It's um… alright. It was my fault. Well, not like I meant for it to… I mean it was an accident… I fell."

"Ah," Noriko said in response, before the pair of them eased into an awkward silence and turned back to pay attention to the teacher who'd been going over some announcements.

"Finally, I don't know why I have to announce this, but for the last time the first-floor ladies toilets are not off limits because they're haunted. They are broken. I'm not going to stop you from going in there if you want to, but if you flush any of those toilets, the school is going to stink for weeks, so on your own head be it."

"Now, concerning homeroom. After we take roll, you're free to do pretty much anything so long as you're quiet. When we get closer to the end of year exams however, you will study. Any and all questions you have I will help you with. If you need to find me outside of class, you can look either in the teachers' lounge or the library. And, of course, as I'm sure you all know, this is the only class of the day, but you'll be starting proper classes from tomorrow on, and I expect you all to work hard, understood?"

As if in reply to her question, the bell gave out a loud shrill ring. As everyone began to pack away their things and Noriko stretched her arms up over her head, she heard a bright voice of a boy to her left.

"Who's your new friend Yuzu? Ain't ya gonna introduce us?" he said. Turning her head, Noriko looked at the source of this question. The boy was a tanned fellow, with an easy smile that reached his dark yellow eyes. His face was framed by bangs of his silver hair, the majority of which was tied up in a samurai bun. Unlike the girl, the apparent Yuzu, who seemed very lithe in figure, he seemed a bit more toned and athletic.

"She's not my friend Yoshi," 'Yuzu' replied with a sigh. "We've literally only exchanged a sentence each."

"Ah, that's no excuse," the boy, Yoshi continued. Stepping around then sitting on the girls desk, he held out his hand to Noriko. "The names Arashi Yoshiki, but please, call me Yoshi."

"Um… I'm Orio Noriko," she replied, taking his hand and being subjected to a shake just as energetic as the person giving it. "The teacher sort of… introduced me though."

"Nothing like a face to face introduction though," Yoshi smiled. "The girl here who won't stop talking is Kitam…"

"HEY," the girl said, pulling Yoshi backwards by his ear. "Surely I get to decide whether or not to introduce myself huh?"

"Owowowowow okay," Yoshi chuckled out. "Are you going to then?"

"Hmmmmm," she murmured, as though she was considering whether or not she would. Letting go of the boys ear, she turned to Noriko and extended her hand as well. "I'm Kitami Yuzuri. It's a pleasure to meet you. I apologise for this idiot."

"No problem," Noriko replied.

_'These two are certainly an odd couple, but they seem nice at least."_

"Anyway, your name's Orio?" Yoshi continued. "That mean your grandad is old Daisuke?"

"Yeah, he is," Noriko responded, surprised. "Do you know him?"

"Not a lot, we just chat every so often," came the answer. "I work at the local Triple 7, which is pretty much the only convenience store outside of the big city, so a lot of the older people around here use it for their weekly shop."

"But anyway, enough about me," he said, turning to face Kitami. "What do you think Kita?"

"You'd have to be way more specific than that?" she answered.

"About the toilet ghost," he said, sighing as if out of frustration. "The one that broke all the toilets and almost scared that girl to death. I know you're into that sorta stuff."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kitami said, looking away like she was trying to avoid eye contact. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to do some studying in the library."

"Study what? We haven't had any real classes yet!?" Yoshi called after her retreating back.

"What's all this about a toilet ghost?" Noriko asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Oooo, you don't know the story?" Yoshi said with a smile. "Allow me to tell you the tale."

"As with most schools, certain clubs are allowed to enter the school during weekends and holidays. One of these clubs were the illustrious and well-known dancing club. The brightest and best of these stars was the beauty Nise Namae. Her style looks and grace on the dance floor had everyone certain she'd a dazzling future as an idol ahead of her. But, one fateful day, she found herself in the first-floor ladies room, alone, whilst the rest of the club were practicing in the hall."

While Yoshi had been telling the story, he had slowly leaned in towards Noriko, and lowered his voice as well, so Noriko was forced to lean in to hear him. She could feel the tension of the situation, could almost see the dark corridors, the dripping of the taps…

"The first-floor ladies is strange, in that unlike all the other toilets in the school, the mirrors above the taps nearest the door, have a set of mirrors on the wall opposite them. And as she washed her hands, she looked up at her reflection. And there, in that tunnel of reflection on reflection, she saw a long, pale line… like a worm or a snake, 3 or 4 reflections down. It snaked and slid up over her shoulder. And as she leaned forward, to try and get a closer look, heart beating so fast and loud you could hear it if you were standing next to her… She felt it fall down onto her… OOF!"

As he reached the finale of his story, Yoshi had sneaked his arm up and flopped it down onto Noriko's shoulder. Noriko, caught up in his words, hand panicked, and with a yelp, had punched him dead on the nose.

"Sorry, sorry, shit, are you okay?" she said, trying to see what damage she'd done.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he replied, tenderly prodding his nose. "Jeez, you've got an arm on you. What the hell do you eat?"

"I've always been pretty strong," Noriko laughed nervously. "And I've a bit of a habit of lashing out when I get scared. I got banned from a haunted house two years ago cause I punched a guy dressed as a clown in the nuts."

"Huh…" Yoshi sighed. "Did they honk?"

"Did they…" Noriko repeated, before her mind made the connection and the two of them burst out laughing.

"Good one," she continued, giggling. "Anyway, this story. What happened to the girl?"

"Oh, right," Yoshi said, shaking his head a little. "Well, a couple of girls from the dance club found her after hearing her scream. She was a wreck when they got to her, and when the school examined the toilet to find out if someone had pranked her, they eventually decided that she'd just imagined it. She ended up moving though, and she remained adamant that she'd felt something touch her. Some of the school board had an idea that maybe it was some gas messing with her head cause the old first-floor toilets empty into a tank rather than the newer one's that go straight into the sewers. They got a plumber in, and he said if anyone flushes through those pipes that they'd end up bursting, so they closed the toilets to the students. People keep sneaking in to try and see the ghost though, that's probably why Masayume-sensei made that announcement."

"Anyway, you should probably be getting home," he declared, standing up and stretching out his arms. Looking around the room, Noriko realised that they were the only students still in the room.

"Fair enough," she agreed. "Hey, uh…"

"What is it?" he asked, looking up from his bag that he was checking through.

"Thanks for coming over and talking to me," she said. "It's pretty hard being the new girl in a school, and you seem really nice."

"Sure," he replied with what Noriko was beginning to realise was his usual grin. "Nothing more important than being friendly in my opinion."

"Guess so," Noriko said. "Anyway, see you tomorrow I guess?"

Packing what few bits and pieces she'd taken out of her bag back in, Noriko hefted it up onto her shoulder and strolled out into the corridor. Unlike the room, the corridors still had many students, chatting away in groups. Joining the general flow and heading down the stairs, Noriko sighed to herself.

_'Well then. I guess that didn't go too bad at all,' _she thought to herself.

Reaching the first floor, a shiver came over her, almost like a chill breeze had blown down her back. Turning as she continued, expecting Yoshi to have blown on her back to scare her again or something, what she was met with was a view of a door, slightly ajar as if opened by a draft, and within which was a familiar babyface, adorned with bowler hat. Freezing as the feeling of wrongness filled every fibre of her body once again, Noriko stared as this strange man maintained eye-contact with his (its?) startling iron-grey eyes.

Noriko was snapped out of this trance when a first-year boy pushed past her, breaking her view of the door. Blinking rapidly and shaking the uncomfortable feeling from her body, she looked up again to she the door, closed with some line of yellow tape across it.

_'Okay, note to self… If things are going well, don't think about it, don't say it, just let it be.'_

With one last glance to be sure, Noriko turned and walked out of the building, met Daisuke outside, apologised for her lateness, and enjoyed a nice chat on the ride home.

* * *

**Author's note**

What's this!? An update!? For this fic!?

I'm the author and I thought this was dead.

Jokes aside, I've been exceedingly busy recently, and all of a sudden everything that I was working on finished up all at once literally yesterday, so I looked around for something to do, and I noticed the half finished Frankensteinian mess of a chapter that I'd been working on. So I'll hopefully be doing more regular updates now, depending on what work around the house I end up doing.

Btw, submissions are now closed for all OC's. I shall be creating my own characters to fill the two gaps in the cast we have remaining, and thus, I have a full cast.


	8. Chapter 6- Unease

**CHAPTER 6**

4/9

Despite the few isolated occasions of weirdness, Noriko already felt that she could get into a good routine in her new home for the year. She'd wake up early (or at least a lot earlier than she used to), enjoy a nice breakfast and some words with Daisuke (bowls of non-sugary cereal, fry ups and pancakes were a treat) and then he'd give her a lift up to school. Following today's set of these events, Noriko was readying her things on her desk just as the morning bell rang to signal the start of homeroom. As soon as the first sound of the bell rang out, the door slid open and a stormy faced Masayume-sensei stalked in and over to the teachers desk, placing a folder, purple pencil case and a steaming thermos in front of her.

"Alright all of you, in your seats. Welcome to the first proper day of school. Obviously, not much has happened in the 12 or so hours since the last class, so I don't have any announcements to give. So, study, chat amongst yourself, do whatever, just do it quietly."

And with that, taking a long, drawn-out sip from her thermos, she settled back in her seat, closed her eyes, and appeared to almost immediately fall asleep.

After a few moments, a low murmur slowly built up in the room as students singularly and in pairs plucked up the courage to make any noise at all, turning to friends next to and behind them. Turning to look left, Noriko saw Yuzuri had taken a rather thick book out from her bag and had begun to read it, taking notes in a small leather-bound pocket notebook.

"What are you reading?" Noriko asked, leaning over slightly to get a glimpse. The book had writing on the page closest to her which she couldn't make out, but on the opposite page was a drawing in a traditional style of a ladies head with a forked tongue on the end of a long coiled snake body.

"Nothing," came the hurried response from the quiet girl as she quickly shifted the book, so Noriko's view of its contents was broken. "It's just some stuff for uh… History class."

"Yeah right," Noriko pressed on, a grin coming to her face. "You're researching that toilet ghost story aren't you. I thought you told Yoshi you weren't interested in that sort of stuff."

"I never said I wasn't…" she replied. "I just said I didn't know what he was talking abou… I mean, I'm not interested in 'that stuff', I'm simply curious about it from a purely academic standpoint."

"Sure, I believe you," Noriko drawled sarcastically. "Well then, 'from a purely academic standpoint', what do you think is haunting the toilet?"

There was a moment pause as Kitami seemed to look Noriko up and down, as though she was trying to get an idea whether to share, before shifting in her seat once more, though this time to grant Noriko an easier view of the books contents.

"This thing is a type of Yokai called a Nure-onna. It's supposedly a form of water spirit that eats people. They would request people to hold a small baby-like bundle for them, and if the person tried to put it down, it would turn to stone and stop them from escaping from them. They're supposed to only inhabit large rivers and the sea, but I think if it is one that the tank the toilets empty into is acting as a replacement."

"Wow," Noriko said, glancing at the cramped writing visible in Kitami's notebook. "You've certainly done your research."

"Well…" Kitami began, but whatever she was about to say was cut off as the bell sounded once more.

"Alright, alright," grumbled Masayume. "Back to your seats, work hard now."

Resolving to continue the conversation as soon as the opportunity arose, Noriko and Kitami both sat back in their seats and prepared for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Alright class, listen up," called out the teacher. Taking a seat at the desk at the top of the room was an elderly woman with sharp ice-blue eyes with iron-grey hair held in a tight geisha-style bun. "My name is Mrs Sumida Ano. You will refer to me as sensei, and nothing else, understood?"

Following some scattered affirmations, Noriko began to hear a strange sort of hissing sound. Glancing around the room for a few seconds, she suddenly realised that it was coming from the teacher, whose nostrils seemed to have turned to slits and whose face seemed to be beginning to flush.

"I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME CLASS!?"

With the slightest of delays as some students, including Noriko, jumping at the sudden scream, the class replied as one, "YES SENSEI."

"Good," came the far quieter reply. "Children these days, they've no respect for tradition. Japan had a culture far before rock and punk and all this Western guff was imported. What I wouldn't give for a return to the true classics. I doubt any of you have any true appreciation for the Japanese arts."

"In fact, let's see," the teacher continued, running her finger down a page in the notebook on the desk in front of her. "Let's try… Miss Orio."

"Y-yes mi- Sensei?" Noriko said, quickly correcting herself. _'Oh come on, why'd you have to pick on me?'_

"I don't suppose a city girl like you has much knowledge of our proud traditions. Tell me, are you aware of the three primary repertoires of gagaku court music?" the teacher asked, an almost evil smile forming on her lips.

_'Wait, I think I know this. Dad was a sucker for that stuff. Ummmm, it was Shinto religious songs, songs based on folk poems and… songs based on Kabuki plays?'_

_._

_._

_._

_'No no, Kabuki was different, the third one was songs based off Chinese and Korean court music.'_

Hoping she'd remembered right, she repeated what she'd thought to herself to the teacher.

"Well now, I suppose I underestimated you, Miss Noriko," Mrs Sumida said, an odd mix of disappointment, surprise, and the slightest tinge of respect visible on her face. "Yes that's correct. Gagaku music first arrived in Japan in the Yamato period from China, although we put our own distinct spin on it. It makes use of the distinctly Japanese yo scale and has even had an influence on several Western composers of the early 20th century."

_'Hoo, I'm just happy I got that right. Guess I know more than I thought.'_

With that vaguely uplifting thought in mind, the bell made it's discordant presence known once again, signalling the beginning of lunch.

"Yo Noriko," came a familiar bright voice from behind. Turning, Noriko watched as the grinning Yoshi approached from his seat at the back. "You wanna hang with me and Yuzu for lunch?"

"Sure, if that's okay with you," Noriko replied, finding her face slowly morphing into a matching smile. _'It's impossible to not be happy near this dude.'_

"Cool, we've got our own spot just before the sports field behind the building. Come on, I'll show you."

* * *

The 'spot' was an old tree trunk that'd been smoothed down naturally over time by both the elements and various generations of students using it as a bench through the years. It was located up against the wall of a supply shed that was, as Yoshi had said, just on the edge of a wide open field inhabited solely by various painted lines on the grass marking racetracks and pitches for various sports. The sun was bright and warming, and a nice light breeze kept the trio cool as they sat and dug into their respective lunches.

"Ahh, now that's the stuff," Yoshi sighed, placing a pair of chopsticks into his recently emptied bento box. "So Noriko, what brings you to our little slice of heaven here? The teacher said you were living with your grandad for the year, but she didn't mention why."

"I'd um… I'd rather not say," Noriko replied, looking down at the uneaten dark crust left over from her sandwich. "It's a… a private matter."

"Oh… Okay then," Yoshi continued, undeterred. "Then what about you Yuzu? Get in any crazy shenanigans over the summer when I wasn't looking?"

"Oh definitely," the olive-skinned girl replied dryly, brushing her hands together after polishing off the last of several rice balls. "Cause there's so much awesome and amazing stuff to do out here in this quiet town."

"Well, you could've gone into the city, seen some crazy ghost in a book..?" Yoshi said, trailing off as though to emphasize. "I know you don't like telling people for whatever reason, but I know you've a thing for legends and stuff, and I saw that book you and Noriko here were discussing, and I know it wasn't anything to do with schoolwork."

"Jeez, you just never take a hint do you," Kitami remarked with a heavy sigh.

"Nope," Yoshi replied with a grin. "Come on, open that sucker up, I wanna hear what you think the toilet ghost is. Please?"

"Fine, fine," came the annoyed response, but Noriko was no longer paying attention. She had caught sight of an individual just over Kitami's shoulder a way down the field who appeared to just be wandering aimlessly, alone, staring off into space.

"Hey," Noriko muttered, patting Yoshi's shoulder with her hand. "Who's that? She seems familiar for some reason."

"Who, them?" Yoshi asked, squinting slightly to try and make out some detail. "Oh, I think that's um… Shina Mazu. I think she's on the cheerleader team. Wonder what she's doing alone, they normally all have lunch together."

"Oh obviously haven't heard," Yuzu said, a hint of sympathy creeping into her voice. "She just got dropped off the team yesterday. Happened right in front of the school apparently."

That was when the clouds cleared in Noriko's mind somewhat. The same brownish hair color, the barest flash of a face screwed up into a mess of tears.

"I think I was there when it happened," Noriko said aloud. "She ran into me on the steps just after she got dropped I think. She was in bits."

"She still looks to be, and I'm not surprised," Kitami said, the beginnings of a snarl forming on her face. "That squad is so centred on the head cheerleader they're all just short of being brainwashed. And the second any of them disappoint **her**, they're dropped like just so much rubbish."

"Sounds a bit personal there," Noriko said, giving Kitami a concerned look. "This happen to you?"

"What? Oh no, no, not to me personally," she replied quickly. "I just have a distinct dislike for people who think they can make other people's decisions for them. And **she** runs that cheer squad like it's a freaking hivemind."

"And who is this **she** you keep ominously referring to?" Noriko asked, keeping her eye on the girl turned lost soul as she asked.

"Mashita Sugure. The queen bee of the school, and the head cheerleader of the cheer squad," Kitami said with a look of great distaste. "She's the niece of the principal, so she's able to get away with anything up to and including murder. She's got half the teachers wrapped around her finger, and… Wait is that..?"

Kitami trailed off as a small group of girls in clearly shortened uniform skirts and majorly stylised hair appeared and approached the wandering girl. She seemed to recoil as they surrounded her, one of them, a blonde whose skin had a clearly fake dark tan to it, taking both her hands. There was a few moments as they apparently spoke to each other, before the sad girl collapsed to her knees and hugged the tanned girls legs, before quickly jumping back up to her feet.

"What the hell's going on over there?" Yoshi muttered, before being shushed by Noriko and Kitami.

The girl leaned forward slightly, as though she was intently listening, appeared to ask a question, before vigorously nodding her head up and down. Following this the group, whom Noriko assumed to be the cheer squad, turned and headed back towards the building, leaving a clearly excited and revitalised Mazu behind.

"Well, whatever that was about, she certainly seems a lot happier all of a sudden," Noriko remarked, the three of them sharing a look of confusion and suspicion at the events they had just witnessed. "I'm guessing that was Mashita?"

"Yes," Kitami replied. "And whatever they were talking about, I'm worried for Shina."

"Well, there's not much we can do," Yoshi muttered. "Whatever's going on between those two is well... between those two."

* * *

After returning from lunch, the rest of the day past Noriko by with no significant occurrence. With the final bell ringing out, Noriko gave her whole body a long, languid stretch and turned to give Kitami a small grin.

"So, I've got an idea," Yoshi announced, walking up to then crouching between the girls seats.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense," Kitami quipped.

"Why don't we sneak into the first floor ladies after school tomorrow?" he continued. "We can find out if the ghost or Yokai or whatever is real, and if it is, we could have ourselves a little exorcism. What do you think?"

"I think that's one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard in my life," Kitami replied incredulously. "The toilets are off limits, we could get in serious trouble if anyone caught us trying to get in."

"Oh come on, you can't honestly say you aren't a bit curious. You wouldn't have done all that research otherwise," Yoshi fired back. "How bout you Noriko? You in?"

"Oh, I'm sure sneaking into a creepy, doubtlessly smelly toilet with a guy I literally met yesterday would be the epitome of fun," Noriko said with a smirk, Kitami giving a brief snort at the clear sarcasm. "But, honestly, I was planning on just going with the flow and not making any waves for the year."

"Alright, alright, I can hear how dumb it sounds now you've said it back to me," Yoshi chuckled, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly. "Just thought it would be something cool to do to welcome you to town."

"Well, thanks, but no thanks," Noriko said, hoisting her bag up onto her back. "Say, my grandad's probably outside to drive me home. You guys need a lift in that direction?"

"I'm good, I live near enough, and I like the walk," Kitami answered with a smile. "Thanks for the offer though."

"I've got a bike, and I've seen Daisuke's pride and joy, there wouldn't be room for it," Yoshi responded.

"I'll see you both tomorrow then," Noriko said, walking out with a wave.

* * *

Reaching the final step onto the first floor, Noriko paused for a moment, the crowd of students parting around her. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward confidently, prepared for the feeling of fear and wrongness to sweep over her at any moment. But, as she stepped out into the late afternoon sun...

Nothing. With a mixed sigh of relief and disappointment, Noriko jogged down the steps and towards the gate before spotting a familiar girl.

"Hey! Sorry, um..." Noriko called out. "Yo uh... I'm Orio Noriko. You kinda, ran into me yesterday."

"Um... sorry..?" Shina replied with a expression that was a major contrast to the tear-stained mess Noriko had seen before.

"Well, I saw you and... Sugure wasn't it, talking to each other," Noriko continued. "And I was wondering-"

"The answers no," came the unexpectedly fast response.

"Sorry? What?" Noriko asked, confused at the bitchy tone of her reaction.

"I'm not gonna put in a good word, or introduce you, or whatever it is you're looking for," Shina sniped.

"That's... not what I was going t-"

"Well, whatever, I've got to get ready for tomorrow anyway," the rude girl interrupted. "It's sure to stink, but it's what I've gotta do."

"What's going to stink?" Noriko asked, an uneasy feeling of concern and worry beginning to nag at her.

"Nothing," Shina scoffed. "Leave me alone bottom-feeder."

And with that last quip, she turned on her heel and strutted with all the gaudy confidence of a peacock.

"Leave it alone Noriko," she muttered to herself, trying to ignore the uneasy knot that had begun to develop in her stomach. "It's nothing to do with you, don't stick your nose in other people's business."

* * *

After the ride home, a nice dinner of soba and settling down into her bed, the knot had not settled in the slightest. In fact, if anything, it had gotten even more uncomfortable. Noriko had seen plenty of bullies and abusive friends in her last school, but she couldn't get the image of Shina literally hugging Sugure's legs like a puppy. Turning over onto one side with a sigh, Noriko stared at the wall of her room, pink pillow in her arms. Slowly however, the gentle call sleep dragged shut her eyes and allowed her muscles to relax down into her covers.

She was floating in the calm darkness of a dreamless sleep, when her consciousness was dragged up to a familiar sound of a squeaking wheel and the deep blue surrounds of...

"Not again, no, not this dream again..."

"Hey you, you're finally awake," came the professional but young voice of William.

"Oooohhhhhh, fu-"

* * *

Yup, another update, I know. As I said last time, this is pretty much the only big project I've got going on right now, so there'll probably be a few updates in the next days, then another drought when things get busy again. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

So, folks, what're your thoughts on this Sugure? Anyone else worried about this poor girl Shino? Please, any thoughts or advice, just leave a review.


End file.
